Word: diplomatic
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Half a world away, Britain watched the strife in China with acute concern. Nonetheless, the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher intends to uphold its pledge to return Hong Kong to Chinese rule. "We cannot back away from the 1984 agreement," said a senior British diplomat. "We have signed it, and we are committed to it." Said another high official: "Once the situation settles down in China, it could be for the better. If the reformers do come out on top, that would be more promising for Hong Kong's future." By week's end, however, the liberal reformers appeared...
...newfound solidarity end in the streets. Leading business and professional groups filled Hong Kong newspapers with ads backing the students in Beijing. "I see this as a positive development," said a Western diplomat, "because it means people are beginning to take an active political role and are not just looking for an exit visa...
...rallying cry of the demonstrators, is an ambiguous word. For some of the protesters, who have no experience and little knowledge of democratic practices in other countries, democracy meant the opposite of everything associated with Communist Party rule. "They can't enumerate concretely what they want," says a diplomat in Beijing, describing the antigovernment movement as fundamentally a "scream of the damned." As Grace, 19, a pig-tailed student who spent Friday night in Tiananmen Square, put it, "We think everything must change...
...certain it will be heard," says Deputy Minister Anatoli Adamishin. "Even my subordinates can express disagreement with my views. In fact, criticism is better received than words of praise." Unlike James Baker, Shevardnadze does not shun career officials in favor of a small clutch of aides; as a Soviet diplomat puts it, he "prefers to go directly to the specialist without regard to rank...
...glance or two at the ladies, Shevardnadze is not a stickler for protocol; on entering a negotiating room, he unfailingly makes the rounds of all present, shaking hands and engaging in small talk. "You don't feel that he is full of his own importance," says a West German diplomat. "He's a really pleasant fellow to do business with...